We have a regular cabbie, Gerry, who knows I’m a writer. Which is to say, he knows I write. I have a vague and desperately incorrect assumption that when I say I’m a writer, people take it to mean I’m, you know. Published. Because that’s what *I* mean. But today in the cab on the way home he said to me, “So will ye be finishin’ yer first book soon?”
“Actually,” I said, somewhat bemused, “my thirteenth book came out in September.”
The man nearly dropped his teeth. After a bit of spluttering with astonishment he asked questions–how do I get paid, and, “I don’t mean to be cheeky, but are ye doin’ well?” Upon being told URBAN SHAMAN has sold some forty or fifty thousand copies, “Jaysus,” says he, “thirteen books! I never met a writer before! And are ye writing the fourteenth?”
More spluttering ensued when I said no, I was writing the nineteenth. “Nineteenth! What happened to the rest of them!” So I explained that some were on their way toward publication and others hadn’t been sold yet, while he goggled in amazement. I said to wait a moment when he’d dropped us off, and I’d give him a copy of one of my books. He said, “Sure and I’ll never read it, but that’d be grand!” I gave him a copy of URBAN SHAMAN, and he liked the cover *laughs*.
That’s a fabulous story – I just got back from Ireland and your dialogue matches the accept spot on! Some day I’d like to be able to say I’ve published one book, let alone nineteen. If I were your cabbie I would have sputtered, too. Congratulations on all of your success. I love your work.
Talk about synchronicity! You gave him, Gerry, a cab driver, the best novel (of yours) possible, one that prominently features a cab driver named Gary. Or was this association intended?
And does Gerry drive using “the Force” as well?
“Gerry” is pronounced “Jerry”, though, and actually it didn’t even occur to me that Gary’s a main character in the book… :)
And no, Gerry does not drive using the Force. Thank goodness. :)